


Pull Me In Until I See The Light

by WickedInk



Series: Argue, Fight, and Kiss a Little [4]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Actor AU, M/M, this could be us but you playin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-29
Updated: 2014-06-29
Packaged: 2018-02-06 16:43:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1865076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WickedInk/pseuds/WickedInk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The only other person Jean knows who’s fluent in awkward assholish behavior is Eren Jaeger. </p><p>or, that story where Eren and Jean really need to work on their communication skills.</p><p> </p>
            </blockquote>





	Pull Me In Until I See The Light

**Author's Note:**

> title comes from daughtry's "baptized"

Marco isn't facing him; he hasn't been facing forward for the whole twelve minutes they've been sitting in front of Connie’s apartment complex. His other half—and he means that platonically, for Marco has saved him from every heartbreak and poorly planned prank that has ever blossomed into fruition for him that he can't help but think of him as only his ‘brother from another mother’—sits hunched over in Jean’s passenger seat with his best friend’s phone clutched tightly in one hand.

 

Five of the twelve minutes they've been sitting there, Marco’s shoulders have been trembling, either from humor or heartache Jean can't say. He hasn’t worked up the courage to just ask what’s wrong. It’s pathetic, he knows, because it’s his best friend who’s sitting there in a questionable emotional state and Jean has let twelve minutes slip by without inquiring exactly what’s happening in Marco’s neck of the woods.

Jean’s so awkward with words though, he can prepare what he wants to say and he can approach the situation with a cool-borderline-cocky attitude but once he starts talking the uncertainty of the person’s reaction to his words springs to the forefront of his mind and he fumbles over his words. Luckily, Marco’s been fortunate enough to know Jean since they were in their mothers’ wombs, meaning that he’s developed a knack for reading Jean’s body language and decoding what it is that Jean’s nervousness is preventing him from saying.

 

The only other person Jean knows who’s fluent in awkward assholish behavior is Eren Jaeger.

 

The twelve minutes has turned into seventeen, Marco’s head is in his hands, and Connie still isn't in the damn car. Jean blows the car horn, startling Marco, and prompting one of the tenants on the first floor to poke her head out of her window.

 

Marco’s looking at him now, finally, and Jean gets a good look at him. No tear streaks, no droopy eyes, but his shoulders are lax, there’s a small coat of red over the smattering of freckles he’s known for. This whole time Jean agonized over whether or not to console Marco, and the asshole was laughing throughout his turmoil. Jean’s taste in friends needs to be brought into consideration.

 

“You were laughing this whole time? I thought something was wrong with you.”

 

Marco doesn't say anything, he just hands Jean his phone with one hand and wipes a stray tear from his eye with the other. Jean’s nothing short of suspicious as he takes his offered phone; nothing good comes from Marco when he’s been laughing to himself for an extended period of time. Jean might be coming into contact with one of his most hated phenomenons.

 

“If that damn ‘doge’ thing is on this phone, I will kick you out of this car, you meme loving—fuck the what?”

 

The image displayed on the small screen is definitely _not_ a meme, and if this is what is passing as an internet joke these days, his grandmother is right and there truly is no hope for this generation.

 

It’s Jean dressed in full costume from the show, bent forward over a wooden desk. His pants are hanging down to his knees and one of the three dimensional maneuver gear straps is clenched between his teeth. Eren’s sprawled over him from behind, a red flush staining his tanned face and his arms wrapped around Jean’s middle.

 

_‘this cud b us but u playin’_

 

Jean doesn’t know what happens first, his fingers hitting the keyboard or the hot blush that covers his face. Eren’s name is beneath the crude text. Throughout the duration of them sitting in the car, Eren sent him that text, and Marco _knew_ about it but was keeping it to himself for what, entertainment? The betrayal he’s feeling is too real. Now Jean’s upset because Marco is laughing at his embarrassment but there’s also anger flaring up within him as well because this is the fifth time that Eren fucking Jaeger has sent him a picture of them in compromising positions with that same fucking caption.

 

 _‘Fuck you Jaeger’_ is his reply and Eren’s response follows only a minute later.

 

_‘is tht an offer??? ;p’_

 

He walked into that one.

 

 

 

 

Sitting around a table full of drinks with his cast mates seemed like a good idea initially but now it’s more awkward than anything, especially since Eren is included in their motley crew. They're herded over to their table, five little square shaped things pushed together making a larger, makeshift rectangular monstrosity. Jean hesitates to sit down once the seating arrangement is revealed: the only empty chair available is between Marco and Eren.

 

Of course it is.

 

He takes it and the real test begins. Does he sit close to Jaeger or closer to Marco? It would seem a bit suspicious to sit closer to Marco but he doesn't want to make it look like he’s pining for Eren. It wouldn't be _not_ true that Jean may be harboring some sort of feelings for his cast member since the conclusion of the first season but it would do him no good if the rest of the Scooby gang knew that. Yeah, they're a bunch of talented professional actors on a successful show but most of them are stuck in the maturity range of ten year olds and to hear that one of their own has a crush would have Jean reliving his elementary school years, except without all the wedgies and pre-adolescent peer pressure.

 

Is that what he wants to call this though? A crush? He doesn't want Jaeger for more than just his body, if he wanted Jaeger’s heart he would have stolen it by now. 

 

What is he saying, he’s sitting in the middle of a bar having an inner monologue about his love life and potential not-crush on Eren Jaeger, he’s not fucking Casanova. And neither is Eren either, who the fuck does he think he is, sending those pictures, _fanart_ , to him, anyway? Is he actively searching the show’s fanbase for the most ridiculous pictures just to get under his skin? 

 

That must be it. 

 

Eren’s only doing this for laughs. He just wants to see how long it'll take to push him over the edge. But why go to this much trouble just to piss Jean off, this is a bit much even for Eren’s standards. Yeah they got off on the wrong foot but he thought that they squashed that beef once they ended filming for season one. That fucking asshole, he’s not taking _Jean’s_ feelings into consideration; those once negative feelings that Jean’s redirected into more neutral-friendly feelings that somehow morphed into some sort of infatuation. But Eren doesn't know that, and even if he did he wouldn't fucking _care_ either way. So fuck it, he’s scooting closer to Marco, he’d put up with the stupid memes because they don’t fuck with his heart strings. 

 

Jean drops his head into his hands. God, he is hopeless.

 

There’s some pressure on his left arm and Jean looks up to see Marco shoving their shoulders together with a shot in his hand. “What’s with the long face?”

 

Jean wants to take that as an insult, another fucking horse joke, but this is Marco and he never stoops that low. “Why did we have to come to this bar?”

 

“Don’t change the subject. You've got that ‘over thinking something completely simplistic’ look on your face.” 

 

How does he know? “And what does _that_ look like?”

 

Marco downs the shot and wets his lips, “Like a three year old pouting because he doesn't want to take a nap.”

 

Jean’s handed a shot by Mikasa, who’s sandwiched between Sasha and Annie across from him. Her quiet smile spurs something within him and he finds himself relaxing a little. “Cheers.” She says, and the rest of the table lifts their glasses in response. 

 

Connie’s the one who stands and addresses the table. “To a show with a fucked up concept getting a second season!” The sound of clinking glasses fills the air.

 

Reiner’s out of his seat next, stretched over the table so he can reach the middle. “To the best fucking cast because that script is depressing as shit.” More clinking glass with a high pitched ‘whoop’ for emphasis.

 

They take the shots in unison before erupting in laughter at the face Armin makes at his empty glass. Things devolve into a sort of contained chaos once Ymir dares Reiner to some liquor challenge that she clearly made up on the spot. Connie ops in as well, never one to back down from a fight. It gets real when Annie volunteers herself and Mikasa, because things always get serious when those two are involved, and Ymir breaks up the crew into teams of two: Connie, Reiner, and Marco versus Annie, Mikasa, and Sasha. Christa and Bertholdt provide an audience while Armin agrees to guest referee.

 

Jean just sits back and takes it all in, he’s driving so no drunken shenanigans for him tonight. Eren’s sitting this one out as well from the look of things, it’s funny because Jean pegged him as an idiot who'd jump at any challenged offered to him. Or maybe that’s just him mixing up the character’s personality with the actor’s.

 

“Why aren't you playing with them?” Eren says to him. 

 

“Someone’s got to get these drunken messes home in one piece.” 

 

Eren nods and Jean notices the way he taps his fingers to the bass of the song along the table. “You don't strike me as the responsible type.”

 

Oh okay. “Please Jaeger, tell me how you really feel about me.” 

 

He looks over to his companion to see the effects of his sarcasm, but Eren’s slouching in his chair and hiding his face. What a fucking weirdo, he’s always attracted to the weirdoes. Things get even weirder when Eren stands up, pulling Jean with him over to a smaller and emptier table.

 

Jean’s not used to being alone with Eren outside of rehearsals and filming so this territory is completely foreign to him. “What is this that you're doing right now?” That could’could've come a bit more coherent.

 

He’s got a good look at Eren’s face now and is the fucker blushing? “You said to tell you how I really feel about you.”

 

Jean’s too sober for this shit. “It’s a figure of speech!”

 

“What?”

 

“Sarcasm is a _thing_ and it looks like you never got the memo.”

 

Eren’s frowning at him now, either out of embarrassment or anger Jean doesn’t know because he’s too focused on Eren’s pouty lips and general cute angry puppy expression. But Eren’s still blushing and damn his empathy because Jean’s feeling a bout of second-hand embarrassment coming on and they must look so fucking dumb sitting here blushing at each other.

 

There’s a ruckus at their original table, Ymir’s got Mikasa in a headlock and Annie’s looking a bit murderous behind them. No need to get involved with that.

 

“Did you really bring me over here to tell me something?” 

 

“Huh..? Oh yeah...that.” Now that they've gotten over that initial weirdness, the confrontational awkwardness begins. Eren avoiding his eyes isn't making things better. “Have you been getting my texts?”

 

Jean sits back in confusion before clarity washes over him, those stupid fucking text messages. “You mean those fucking pictures?” He hates himself for the unintended pun.

 

“Yeah, those fucking pictures.” At least he’s gained a little confidence to look in Jean’s direction. “The last one I sent is the first one you've replied to.”

 

“That’s only because Marco was the one who saw it first and showed it to me”, he says and that bastard has the nerve to look embarrassed again, “I've been meaning to ask you about those, anyway.”

 

Eren mumbles lowly to himself, but Jean pays it no mind. He’s trying to stem this new activity of categorizing all the greens in Eren’s eyes. How can a person’s eyes be that fucking green, what the fuck is wrong with you. “Speak up Jaeger.”

 

“I said, I thought it was obvious what I meant by them.”

 

“ _Obviously_ not, if I'm over here taking a shot in the dark at this shit.”

 

“Oh my god.” Eren says, and he’s saying it in that assholish exasperated tone as if everything about this conversation is explicit and Jean is the only person not understanding anything. Maybe if he had fucking ESP he'd be able to just read Eren’s mind and nip this whole thing in the bud. Maybe even bend him over a table, but that just might be him reaching too far.

 

“This,” Eren says, and now he’s messing with something on his phone and shoving it in Jean’s face. “This could be us, but you playin’.” It’s one of those pictures of them again, “Quit playin’ with me, Jean!”

 

Jean’s voice is even when he speaks. “This joke is awful Eren, and you need to stop it.” Now his feelings are involved again and what Eren considers ‘funny’ Jean sees as ‘rude and fucking immature’. He wants that to be them, but it’s better to start the mending process rather than pine after something that’s not happening.

 

“Joke? What the fuck are you talking about?”

 

“This!” Jean gestures between them, “this whole ‘sending me erotic pictures just to get under my skin’ thing. It’s irritating and pretty fucking childish.”

 

“I’m not joking about anything, you fucking idiot.”

 

“Then what the hell would you call it?”

 

“ _Flirting!_ ”

 

...Please let there be an explanation for this.

 

“I wanted to get your attention, I asked around and ‘sending you hints’ was the top answer.”

 

Okay, but who the hell told him that sending him hand drawn porn was an acceptable way to get to his heart? Hanji, fucking Hanji.

 

Wait.

 

“Get my attention? As in your feelings for me aren't solely platonic?”

 

“What do you think I’ve been saying this whole time, Jean?” Eren’s got no reason to look as fed up as he does, because he’s been talking and confusing Jean as much as Jean has been doing to him too, so they're both two idiots stuck in the same boat.

 

“Mostly nonsense! You drag me over to another table because you don't get sarcasm just to make some kind of love confession so excuse me if I think that I've gone and hopped aboard the crazy train.”

 

Jean watches the other throw his hands up. This is their natural state; misplaced anger and horniness. “God, you are weird, you’re so fucking weird, and I want to kiss you.”

 

Jean’s smirk is dangerous, “Don't talk about it, be about it, Jaeger.”

 

Their kiss is sloppy and uncoordinated, with teeth and spit in all the wrong places. Eren’s the one who breaks it, nudging Jean in the shoulder and muttering something about not leaving their cast mates unattended for too long. As they walk back to their table, Jean motions towards Eren’s phone, “Is that us?”

 

It takes him a few seconds to catch up, “Do you want it to be us?”

 

“I mean, it can be. I'm down for it if you are.”

 

“Are we talking about fucking or a relationship?”

 

Jean just shrugs, “I don't know, we can discuss details tomorrow.”

 

When they rejoin their crew, Jean doesn't move his chair closer to Eren. He settles for using Jaeger as a footrest and Marco as a backrest and neither opposes him. Eren hands him a drink that he promises ‘isn’t alcohol, it’s just really fruity and you like fruity shit’. Jean takes it as a backhanded compliment and he and Eren clink their glasses together.

 

To a new season.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to this post
> 
> http://roninkami.tumblr.com/post/79074417308


End file.
